Page by page, panel by panel annotations of DC Comics' summer events and crossovers
Okay – I created this cover back in September 2020 (I work months ahead) and am posting on this on 23 November ready for publishing in January 2021.
If by the time this post sees the light of day, DC is on the way to being sold to Marvel, just tell everyone you heard it here first, people!
As I’m not a Superman or Batman fan, DC doesn’t seem to have a great deal going on for me.
GREEN LANTERN #1
written by GEOFFREY THORNE
art by DEXTER SOY
cover by BERNARD CHANG
As this new Green Lantern series begins, the newly formed United Planets and the Guardians of the Universe hold an intergalactic summit to decide who can best serve and protect the cosmos from danger. With the majority of Green Lanterns called back to Oa, John Stewart arrives alongside Teen Lantern Keli Quintela, whose powerful gauntlet could be one of the most powerful and unstable weapons in the universe. With the entire landscape of the universe in flux, is this the end of the Green Lantern Corps…or a new beginning?
I said in last month’s post about the end of Grant Morrison’s run that I hoped we’d get a new GL series and look here – the Corps is back. True we have the Young Justice Teen Lantern, about whom I know nothing, but look at the crowd below – Kilogwog, Isamot Kol, Two-Six, Arisia, and even Soranik Natu who, the last I read, was running around as a Yellow Lantern and siding with her dad, Sinestro. I’m looking forward to this.
RWBY/JUSTICE LEAGUE #1
written by MARGUERITE BENNETT
art by ANEKE
cover by MIRKA ANDOLFO
The DC Universe and the world of RWBY collide in this new miniseries! Discover the Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, and Diana Prince of Remnant as Team RWBY comes face to face with new versions of DC’s paragons of justice. A new Grimm is running rampant around the island of Patch, and Ruby and Yang must team up with a young farm boy to stop it! Meanwhile, Blake meets a mysterious woman who’s appeared on Menagerie, but what is her purpose? And why does she act like she hasn’t been around modern society?
Normally I’d pick up most anything connected to the Justice League and I’ve read (and enjoyed) a shed load of books by Marguerite Bennett . . . but I know nothing about Rwby and this just doesn’t grab me. It’s a seven issue mini-series so maybe it’s a trade in the future.
CRIME SYNDICATE #2
written by ANDY SCHMIDT
art by KIERAN McKEOWN
backup story art by BRYAN HITCH
cover by JIM CHEUNG
With Starro ravaging the planet and controlling superheroes and villains alike, the fate of the world rests in the hands of Ultraman, Superia, and Owlman—in other words, win or lose, humanity is doomed!
Question of the month: What famous Gotham foes are held in Owlman’s cave?
Plus, in the backup story, witness the origin of Owlman in a tale illustrated by superstar artist Bryan Hitch!
Being something of a fan of continuity, this whole new Earth-3 is intriguing so I’ll be picking this up.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #60
written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
art and cover by DAVID MARQUEZ
backup story written by RAM V
backup story art by XERMANICO
Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Aquaman, and Hawkgirl join forces with Black Adam to fight an all-new world conqueror! But how do they stop the unstoppable power known as Brutus? Enter new mega-power sensation Naomi, who comes face to face with the League and brings along Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons for a blockbuster battle for the ages—with a last-page cliffhanger that will leave everyone guessing what’s next!
And in the backup tale, the new Justice League meets the new Justice League Dark, and the demon Etrigan calls the team to action—but Batman has other plans. This team needs a leader, but what twisted secret prevents Zatanna from stepping forward? Plus, Ragman makes a startling discovery—one that may cost his life!
Bendis appears to be adding in his own character Naomi to the mix; as I know nothing about her, it’ll be interesting to see if she’s League level or if she’s in just because she’s friends with the boss.
THE SWAMP THING #2
written by RAM V
art and cover by MIKE PERKINS
The trials of Levi Kamei, the new avatar of the Green, grow darker as the Pale Wanderer’s bloody spree leaves a trail of death across the Sonoran Desert. While his “lessons” begin to show Levi the true nature of what he is becoming, it is Jennifer Reece who’ll show Levi that he must contend with his past and his trauma in order to stop the murderous wraith. Will Levi Kamei grasp his newfound place in this world as the Swamp Thing? Or will his fears consume him before the new avatar can even take root? Find out as this eternal conflict of life and death comes to a head!
And the new Swamp Thing maxi series continues.
And that’s it – four issues out of the entire month from DC, a far cry from what I’ve been getting from them in years past.
Daredevil has clearly annoyed the good Doctor – what is he going to do to get out of this?!
Which asshole wants to cop to dropping a house on us?
Prizefighter, COMMANDERS IN CRISIS #4
With DC full ahead with their Future State initiative that I’ve ducked out of, it’s a week of Image comics for me.
COMMANDERS IN CRISIS #4
As the Crisis Command faces off with Empathy’s assassin, the deep conspiracy behind the murder steps out of shadows. It won’t be enough just to avenge Empathy’s death: to save the world, the Crisis Command will have to RESURRECT AN IDEA! The first wild arc concludes with a bang!
I’m really enjoying this maxi series from Steve Orlando and Davide Tinto; the writing’s fun and lean, with good dialogue, and the art matches it perfectly. Alternate universes, a multiverse in peril and a handful of heroes trying to stop it – what more can you ask?
CROSSOVER #3
Monsters and robots falling from the sky! Mysterious (and familiar??) superheroes joining our intrepid gang on their journey to event ground zero! CROSSOVER continues with the series’ most explosive and shocking issue to date! Don’t miss this one, folks. If you do, it just might drive you…mad.
Now that’s a last page reveal, folks. This series promised guest stars that would surprise you and this issue pays off a hint from the first couple but not in the way you’d expect. Donny Cates cheekily drops in characters from his cancelled-too-soon series PAYBACKS from a few years ago, and amongst the mayhem, still manages to tell a great story.
INKBLOT #5
The mysterious cat wanders further backward in time into an ancient jungle. Ten young sorcerers make camp, but the youngest of the group wanders off in search of a cute little cat.
Charming, I think, is the best word for this series. It was a bit of a gamble – a tale in a fantasy world of a cat who walks through realities and time, and the wizard who finds her – but it’s struggling to find a coherent storyline at the moment. It’s nicely done, though, so not too disappointing.
Crisis on Earth-Prime 